Monthly Archives: February 2013

Two weeks ago I ran 21 miles. It’s a goal that I’ve been working toward for months (years, actually), but was never really sure I could accomplish. I have friends who tell me I’m crazy for training for a marathon or say “I could never do that”. It’s pretty crazy thinking about it, because these are statements that I’ve said to myself numerous times. People tend to think that just because I work for the marathon, that I must automatically be a marathon runner. But let me tell you, I’ve looked at friends who run insane amounts of mileage each week and thought, “how does someone do that?” If I’ve learned anything in the past few months, it’s that accomplishing a marathon goal is only partly about the physical training and knowledge – it’s also about the strength I’ve gained from those who support me. And it’s about learning to reach out and asking for that support.

For a very long time, I’ve been held a mentality in which I feel like I must do things on my own in order for me to be worthy of my accomplishments. Five years ago, when I began running, it was very much a solitary activity to help me get through a difficult transitional phase in my life. At that time, I ran by myself, trained by myself and embraced the solitude.

In the beginning of my marathon training I’d had several weeks of difficulty. I’d been plagued by recurring plantar fasciitis, back spasms and hip and knee pain. Making it through a 10 mile run, something I’ve done on enough occasions for it to be a tolerable distance, was bringing me to tears for the last couple […]

By Lindsay|February 7th, 2013|Categories: Latest News||Comments Off on A Tale About Training For My First Marathon

41 days away from the first part of the LA/SF Challenge, which starts with the Honda LA Marathon. As the count down continues to the upcoming events with the Honda LA Marathon on March 17 and the Wipro San Francisco Marathon on June 16, most runners have started off their 2013 race season by pinning a race bib or two onto their running attire and gear. For those of that have committed to running a marathon or two in the first 6 month of 2013, I think taking part in a couple of races prior to the big race has it’s benefits. For me running events prior to any race I consider a focus race, such as the Honda LA Marathon, provides me with opportunities to train on different running routes I would not otherwise run, train around people that run at different paces, and most importantly provide me with and opportunity to practice my marathon day routine. I treat many of these races as “dress rehearsals” for the big day.

After taking the month of January off from any races to focus on my newest training program for the Honda LA Marathon, the first weekend of February opened up with 2 opportunities to practice for the big day as well as continue to get my training miles in. On Saturday February 2, I took part in the Jed Smith Ultra Classic in Sacramento, running in the 30k distance. The 18.6 miles was perfect to test out my race day gear, race day breakfast, and in race fueling. For me the race day breakfast is very similar to my pre training run breakfast. However, one of the key focuses I had outside of the actual […]